It is 430pm the last day of the school year, and I am laid out in a very comfortable armchair in the foyer of the conference space in Dublin Castle. (Curiously, there were two large stuffed trolls seated next to me. However, I digress.) I am not sure if I could get out of the seat even if I wanted to. This seemed like a great idea a month ago when I booked my ticket for Excited (@weareexcited). But here I was exhausted after the end of year rush and a reasonable night at Fairyhouse for the staff end-of-year celebrations.

A number of lively and brightly t-shirted students populated the room and the people started to filter in and the energy of the occasion lifted me from the approaching slumber.....24 hours later and I leave that same space - armchair nowhere to be seen having been replaced by numerous school displays - and I am energised by an event which set a challenge to all the educators present to lead the change in digital education and to achieve a repeatedly-articulated goal of having Ireland as a leader in digital education and learning in the World.

So, my reflection on the event.

Blend of participants and attendees

Firstly, the positives of which there was many. I felt that this was a 'rounded' event with high-quality speakers and presenters plus the presence of industry, ed tech start ups, representatives of the DES (seemed to be a significant number from the building unit there) research institutions and primary, secondary, further education and third-level educators. I have attended a good number of ed tech conferences in Ireland in the last few years and while it was great to see many of the familiar CESI cohort, it was refreshing to meet new educators and to hear new perspectives - including the musical intro by Junior Minister Ciaran Cannon!

This mix of people brought a new dynamic to this event that brought a different dimension to the discussion. In my experience, ed tech conferences can be, at times, overly positive and lacking a critical perspective. Though it is understandable when these events' main goal is to celebrate the good practice and innovation that is taking place. On the industry panel Mike Ferrick from Alison.com posed the questions whether teachers were achieving at their full potential when content and material for the subjects is now freely available on the web. It was asked whether they are using their time effectively is the need to create content has essentially been removed from the equation. It was interesting to note the immediate defensive position taken and the line of the history and continuing heritage of "great teachers" in Ireland put back to them. However, I have no issue with being asked difficult questions - it forces honest reflection which is needed on the part of educators if we are serious about this change. I suppose that the 'Excited' event was not a representative audience of educators and it was likely that the most technologically innovative teachers were at this event, not those who either do not have the skills, expertise or desire to supplement their current teaching practice with resources and material available in the digital learning environment.

Answering (& asking) difficult questionsThis point is made though in the context that I am happy to take on difficult questions if industry are willing to be asked and respond to difficult questions by educators. This discussion must also be cognisant of the primary role of education in a society. While not wishing to denigrate the importance of employment and work, I do not see that my primary purpose as an educator is to create employees. That is industry's job. As an educator, I see my role as facilitating the development of the students who I teach and interact with. Now many of the skills that the industry participants and others were highlighting are the self-same characteristics I would look to develop in a student, skills such as problem-solving skills, creativity and resilience. But I see this interaction between industry and education more as a venn diagram where what we are developing in schools has real value to enterprises, this is opposed to a view (one which was dismantled in a recent RTE Prime time debate) where schools are "conveyor-belting" students through a system with fully-formed employees ejected at the other end.

The question was asked of what can industry do for education? In light of my views on this, I would be looking for a more respectful conversation to be had with educators which highlights the skills that industry are, and probably more importantly will be, looking for from future graduates; not one which blames the education system for not producing ready-made employees for them. In my opinion, it's my job to help students reach their potential; it's your job to make them into effective employees.

Student VoiceThe voice of students was celebrated at the event and rightly so as it was articulate and perspective to the needs of students across all sectors. The presentation by Ciara Judge (@CiaraFudgyJudgy) , Sophie Healy-Thow (@SophieHealyThow) & Émer Hickey was excellent and was a reminder of the fact that these articulate, thoughtful and motivated students are in our schools all throughout the country and we must give them the opportunities to lead the discussion about their education and have a real say in it.

The group discussion that followed did bring out a dichotomy of views on PowerPoint and I think it does have a relevance to the issue of Student Voice. From the students who were surveyed on Friday and Saturday, a view that they liked using PowerPoint for projects and presentations was expressed. In the group discussion it was expressed succinctly that we needed "power points not PowerPoint". We need to be careful that, if we ask for the students to express their views, that we respect it, regardless of whether we think we know best. I think there may have been some IT snobbery at play and something we need of which we need to be mindful. Students from all ages were surveyed and if they find PowerPoint as a useful and effective tool for their learning, we need to respect that point of view and not denigrate it in the rush to have them use [place multi-user, super-slick, collaborative, recently-launched, only-in-beta ed tech presentation tool here].

The Psychology of Change in CPDAttendance at the event was definitely affirming of the role and potential of technology in education detailed by all of the students and teachers throughout the weekend. CPD for the teaching body was repeatedly mentioned as playing a key role in the achievement of the movement's goals. However, I feel more thought needs to be given not just to the structure and resourcing of CPD, but also to the psychology of change and how to move it beyond the "converted". Technologically innovative and "techie" teachers often find themselves ploughing a lonely furrow and even at times rowing against a culture of indifference. The presence of so many schools at Excited that have made that transition shows that it is possible but understanding their success and the role of organisational culture and leadership will be a very important piece in the puzzle of making the Excited a national movement in education. The CPD provision to make this step to Ireland becoming a world leader in ed tech and in the use of technology in schools need due consideration given to the psychology and management of change and needs the school management and leadership on board with this journey. (JMB & ETB leadership to be invited next year, perhaps?)

Finally, a big thanks to all for organising the event and I look forward to the different EXCITED events throughout the year. On a practical level, I had a very interesting chat with Mike Ferrick from Alison and I hope to be able to further use the platform to support the work experience programmes in St. Oliver's CC.

Is there anything original in new technology? While "newness" is a characteristic much promoted and celebrated in technology, are we in fact only lionising improved efficiency? No doubt, improved efficiency is worth striving for and recognising but is it really a brave new World?

Does this then focus on a difference between creativity and innovation? Are they synonymous? I am considering the fact after a talk today at the CESI conference from @leocasey on the "Diffusion of Innovation". It looked at the process of spreading innovation throughout an organisation. I took from the discussion that is the perception that is the reality in changing and diffusing innovation. So in fact, does it really matter if the originality is real or contrived? If perception becomes reality, then perceived newness becomes the accepted reality.

While the talk focused on the process and the psychology of innovation, the it also resonated with the talk from @dughall that spoke of the FOMOs (the Fear Of Missing Out) who were focused on the next iteration of a piece of technology. If people are always focusing on the newness of things and of the next version and update, it allows us to constantly live in what Gartner refer to in their Hype Cycle as "Peak of Inflated Expectation". The risk in always chasing the new is that we never have to face the "Trough of Disillusionment" and work through to the benefits that await the other side.

For me, it speaks of the need of having and maintaining a sold vision in a time of constant novelty.

Surely that new iPad you have is a new departure in technology, isn't it? Perhaps not so much when you consider the first recorded patent of a flat-screen device used for recognising and processing data, the teleautograph, was made in July 1888.

Back to reality and real life after a couple days out indulging in educational tech at the CESI conference in GMIT.

A great day and lots of contacts, connections and provocative learning. We were inspired, engaged and challenged and it always great to attach bodies to Twitter pics.

In the CESI 4.0 tab, you will find my presentation on 'Paperless Workflow using Google Drive and gClassFolders'. It also includes the links to some of the resources I used to compile the presentation. There are also links to some of the people I enjoy reading and learning from when looking at using Google Apps for Education.

Thank you to all for the very generous comments today about the presentation.

This week in #edcmooc, we have been asked to examine of what it means to be human in a digital world. It follows on from last week's look to some potential futures.

Perhaps my feelings on this have been framed by the initial discussion on utopia and dystopia, but I cannot get away from the view that technology is impacting profoundly on what we are in our core. The sense that there is something valuable and necessary for us as humans that was there in a pre-digital age but which we must now actively seek before experiencing.

The sense that we have sacrificed profound experience and connection at the table of convenience, noise and speed is a worrying consideration.

This is where I come to the phrase "An Unhappy Marriage". We are now bound to technology but perhaps we are living with a partner that does not always support us or give us what we need as individuals. There are times when things are great and we cannot imagine life without them. But, conversely, there are times when life would be better if there were not around for a while.

It is something I ponder when I look at my young children and the lives they will have and the role technology and the digital world that will surround them and impinge on their lives to an ever-increasing degree.

The act of learning, I believe firmly, is wholly and completely personal. Regardless of the structure of classrooms, schools, collaborative learning groups and now MOOCs, the final act of 'learning', of moving from not-knowing to knowing is a personal act.

I state this in reflection of a trend of comments appearing in the discussion in the University of Edinburgh's MOOC, 'E-Learning and Digital Cultures' (#edcmooc). I suppose these comments are the manifestation of participants who now realise that the MOOC experience was not what they had expected.

They tend to follow the line of 'Where is the direction?', 'How am I supposed to know what to do?' or 'How can I connect with my classmates?'. The sheer volume of participants (40,000+ in the case of edcmooc) means the the MOOC experience is unlike any other learning environment I have come across. But that is okay. If learning is personal, you have to find your own space and place to learn in the crowd.

It seems to me that if volume of participants is overwhelming and instruction is light on direction, then as learners we have to find what we need and want from the course.

Going back to my initial statement, if the last step of learning is wholly personal, that no amount of instruction or guidance will make any difference to the learning if the individual does not make the committed decision to learn.

This is a new way of learning for all of the participants but I feel that with a commitment to personal learning, an ability to identify areas of interest to pursue and the confidence to find a personal space and voice for learning in the crowd, there is a definite benefit to be had from this MOOC.

Any thoughts? How are you finding the MOOC experience? I would love to hear your views.

I am currently engaged in the interesting world of utopian and dystopian representations of technology as part of the University of Edinburgh's 'E-learning and Digital Cultures' MOOC [#edcmooc].

A thought occurred to me in relation to the representation of the dystopian view and its general concentration in post-industrial urban environments. It prompted the question as to whether the soulless and regimented urban world is a reflection or result of technological advancement? The implication is that the threat and malevolence of technology is greater in a space where people lack access to nature and light. Check out this video for an example of the urban dystopia

Given that more than half the world's population now live in cities (UNFPA REPORT)and that rate predicted to continue to rise, are we creating the self-fulfilling prophecy of crowded, dark and threatening environments which presents technology as the only realistic means of escaping the suffocating city?

It makes me consider the place nature and light play in human existence. The place for interacting with nature is a core human need and one which technology, despite its best efforts to create entire idealised worlds online, cannot replicate the need to touch, feel and 'communicate' with nature.

Thursday

This animation looks at the relationship between nature and technology.

To finish, the representation of the role of technology in the future of people is an interesting yet challenging concept. Given the weighty topic, it seems strange to paraphrase Homer Simpson in looking at the issue:

Technology: the cause of, and solution to, all of future humans' problems.

I have been considering this post for a number of weeks having read a piece by Neil Selwyn on "Bursting out of the 'ed-tech' bubble" in Learning, Media and Technology. This is not my typical bedtime reading but his editorial struck a chord with me and my role in educational technology.

I really enjoy the conversation in educational technology that is so vibrant, generous and creative. I love places like #edchatie and the discussions (in truth, at times, they are acrimonious rows) that take place there. However, my role at work is to expand that conversation to a large proportion of the staff with whom I am working. It can seem that everybody is talking about educational technology, but what if that is the main topic of discussion among the people you talk to? How can the conversation be heard 'outside the echo-chamber?

A recent post from Donal O'Mahony on his blog E-Learning Island about teachers reading research prompted me to get it down on paper and share my thoughts. [New Year's resolution - you paid for the URL, you may as well starting using it!]

The main tenet of Selwyn's piece is that there is a danger of imbuing a greater sense of importance to discussions if we forget that they vast majority of people do not know the conversation is taking place. Now, we can sit with a haughty sense of self-importance and look down on our Luddite inferiors or we can find a way to engage them in the conversation.

Coincidently, considering this is on an educational blog, he describes the 'echo-chamber' effect.

[In line 1, I think 'social media' can easily be replaced by 'educational technology'.]

As such, many...are in the distorted position of having formed opinions of social media mainly through their own personal use of it. For instance much of the enthusiasm for blogging in education stemmed notably from educational bloggers writing entries on educational blogs about the benefits of educational blogging.

That these debates were rarely heard (and rarely taken seriously) outside of the educational 'blogosphere' is perhaps not surprising. Yet, the limited actual use of blogs was all too easy to lose sight of amidst the 'echo-chamber' effect that derived from the small but frenetic community of educational bloggers who noisily preaching what they practised.

I am conscious that sometimes the conversation in ed-tech is self-referential and at times skewed in its world-view. The world of educational technology can seem distant and 'other-worldly' to some members of our professional communities. Selwyn also believes that educational technologists can create this barrier stating:

I have long felt that some educational technologists are eager to perpetuate a 'them' and 'us'mentality - positioning themselves in outsider roles of being know-all mavericks who somehow get technology in a way that the masses do not.

I believe in the value of technology in education. However, I am not going to evangelical about Twitter or Google Forms! I do think that the learning journey would be more enjoyable with more people along for the ride. And any perceived superiority will do little to help the promise of educational technology being realised in the classroom.

How do we help our colleagues outside the echo-chamber listen in to the conversation? Should we even try?

The first post on my blog and the cursor blinks and taunts me. What are you going to say? Any interesting to add?

I then remembered a conversation I had today about the role of educational technology and what its impact can be on teachers, their teaching and their professional development. A lot of time is spent extolling the benefits of efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. But for me, it has made me a more generous teacher.

I am a languages teacher (with a little bit of IT to fill in the gaps) in St Oliver's CC in Drogheda. However, since February I have been working on a project to introduce tablet PCs into the four post-primary schools in Co Louth VEC.

The move into the educational technology conversation has been a revelation. I have been a teacher for close on a decade but finding a community of generous and open teachers and educators was like starting all over again. It was discovering a conversation that has being going on in the next room that you were not even aware of beforehand. Any it turns out that many of the interesting people were sitting in this new room.

For teachers in Ireland today, it can seem like you are working against a constant stream of negative forces; from apathy in class to vitriol on the public airwaves. My advice: join in with the conversation in educational technology, connect with generous teachers who are willing to share their expertise and insight, and share your expertise with others. It is a great space to be.

That is not to say that the problems drift away, but spending some time thinking about your practice, what you do in class and why you do it, is time well spent.

If there was one thing I would recommend for you to do to start this journey, it is:

Join Twitter - Every day, educators from across the world share their practice, resources, insights and opinions. Follow the right people and you will reap the benefit of their generosity. Join in and share some of what you are doing. Keep an eye on educational hashtags - #edchatie for an Irish perspective - and watch the conversation develop.

An aside: The title of the blog comes from a quote from the American poet, Audre Lorde."We are all in the process of becoming."